- What Is a Client Dataset?
- Advantages and Disadvantages of Client Datasets
- Creating Client Datasets
- Populating and Manipulating Client Datasets
- Navigating Client Datasets
- Client Dataset Indexes
- Filters and Ranges
- Searching
- Summary
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Advantages and Disadvantages of Client Datasets
Client datasets have a number of advantages, and a couple of perceived disadvantages. The advantages include:
Memory based. Client datasets reside completely in memory, making them useful for temporary tables.
Fast. Because client datasets are RAM based, they are extremely fast.
Efficient. Client datasets store their data in a very efficient manner, making them resource friendly.
On-the-fly indexing. Client datasets enable you to create and use indexes on-the-fly, making them extremely versatile.
Automatic undo support. Client datasets provide multilevel undo support, making it easy to perform what if operations on your data. Undo support is discussed in Chapter 4, "Advanced Client Dataset Operations."
Maintained aggregates. Client datasets can automatically calculate averages, subtotals, and totals over a group of records. Maintained aggregates are discussed in detail in Chapter 4.
The perceived disadvantages include:
Memory based. This client dataset advantage can also be a disadvantage. Because client datasets reside in RAM, their size is limited by the amount of available RAM.
Single user. Client datasets are inherently single-user datasets because they are kept in RAM.
When you understand client datasets, you'll discover that these so-called disadvantages really aren't detrimental to your application at all. In particular, basing client datasets entirely in RAM has both advantages and disadvantages.
Because they are kept entirely in your computer's RAM, client datasets are extremely useful for temporary tables, small lookup tables, and other nonpersistent database needs. Client datasets also are fast because they are RAM based. Inserting, deleting, searching, sorting, and traversing in client datasets are lightening fast.
On the flip side, you need to take steps to ensure that client datasets don't grow too large because you waste precious RAM if you attempt to store huge databases in in-memory datasets. Fortunately, client datasets store their data in a very compact form. (I'll discuss this in more detail in the "Undo Support" section of Chapter 7.)
Because they are memory based, client datasets are inherently single user. Remote machines do not have access to a client dataset on a local machine. In Chapter 8, "DataSnap," you'll learn how to connect a client dataset to an application server in a three-tier configuration that supports true multiuser operation.